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SpaceX recycling

Private space flight firm SpaceX is getting ready to reuse a rocket. The Falcon 9 first stage booster first flew in April 2016, now the company has test-fired it to see if it’s ready to fly again. That flight will be no earlier than March – but if it works, it’s a step towards cheaper, more efficient space travel.

Death by black hole

A black hole has been feasting on the same star for an entire decade. XJ1500+0154 was first spotted in July 2005 and is still giving off bright X-rays today as it continues its meal. Watching this so-called tidal disruption event in a galaxy 1.8 billion light years away will help explain how quickly supermassive black holes can grow (Nature Astronomy, doi.org/bzcq).

Heart repair

Exercise doesn’t just make your heart go faster – it might fix it too. After mice spent 30 minutes running on a treadmill, researchers saw changes in the gene activity in their hearts. Increased activity of genes involved in repairing DNA may help explain why exercise protects against heart disease (Experimental Physiology, doi.org/bzdg).

Sea acidification boon

Tiny marine snails have challenged assumptions that ocean acidification driven by carbon emissions will make the oceans sterile. One species of snail living near carbon dioxide-rich ocean vents thrives there – the CO2 fuels the growth of the algae it feeds on (Current Biology, doi.org/bzd5).

Thought control

Sensors have let people control virtual arms using their thoughts alone. Implanted in the spine, the sensor interprets signals directly from a person’s motor neurons, and could one day let amputees have finer control over prosthetic limbs (Nature Biomedical Engineering, DOI: 10.1038/s41551-016-0025).